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Mutations in Microorganisms

Mutations in Microorganisms

Mutations are heritable changes in an organism’s genome involving alterations in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. These changes can influence cellular processes and phenotypic traits, potentially transforming the unaltered wild type into a mutant form. Such changes, termed forward mutations, are pivotal in shaping the genetic diversity of organisms.RNA viruses exhibit the highest mutation rates due to the absence of robust proofreading mechanisms during genome replication. In contrast,...

In-vitro Mutagenesis

In-vitro Mutagenesis

To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.

Bacterial Transformation

Bacterial Transformation

In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...

Viral Mutations

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material for adaptive...

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).

In vitro Mutagenesis

In vitro Mutagenesis

To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.

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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Published on: June 16, 2011

Lethal mutagenesis in viruses and bacteria.

Peiqiu Chen¹, Eugene I Shakhnovich

¹Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

|July 22, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Genetic mutations affecting protein stability impact cell survival. High mutation rates, particularly in RNA viruses, can lead to lethal mutagenesis, influencing organism evolution and protein stability.

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Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Published on: June 16, 2011

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Published on: October 14, 2025

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Molecular biology
Genetics

Background:

Cellular function relies on protein stability, which can be altered by mutations.
Understanding the relationship between mutation, protein stability, and organism fitness is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To model how mutations affecting protein stability influence population survival and growth.
To investigate the phenomenon of lethal mutagenesis and its dependence on organism type and biological parameters.

Main Methods:

Developed a computational model linking genotype (protein folding free energies) to phenotype (cell fitness).
Simulated mutation accumulation and its effects on protein stability and essential protein function.
Analyzed the relationship between mutation rates, protein stability distributions, and organism characteristics.

Main Results:

Lethal mutagenesis occurs at approximately 7 mutations per genome replication for RNA viruses and 3.5 for DNA organisms.
The critical mutation rate is influenced by the number of genes and the organism's death rate.
The model accurately reproduces the distribution of natural protein stabilities and correlates mutation rates with protein stability across species.

Conclusions:

Protein stability is a key factor in the evolution of mutation rates and organism survival.
The study provides a mechanistic link between molecular-level changes (protein stability) and population-level dynamics (survival, growth, lethal mutagenesis).
Findings align with theoretical predictions and experimental observations in evolutionary genetics and molecular evolution.